Top US diplomat calls for 'determined' reaction to N. Korean nuclear test
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Friday for a "determined and effective" response to North Korea's fifth nuclear test, denouncing it a "dangerous and reckless act of provocation" and a "direct challenge" to international stability and peace.
Kerry made the remark during a U.N. Security Council meeting on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), stressing that Pyongyang's nuclear test is a clear reminder of the "absolute necessity" to put the 1996 treaty into force.
"Two decades after this process began, there may be some who question the value of pursuing this treaty or investing in its adoption, because the world has changed dramatically," Kerry said, according to a State Department transcript.
"Yet we have been reminded in recent weeks of the absolute necessity of supporting the CTBT. North Korea's latest nuclear test is a challenge to this council's leadership," he said. "It is a challenge and a direct threat to international stability and peace. It is a dangerous and reckless act of provocation which we have to summon a determined and effective answer to."
The CTBT was opened for signature in 1996 and then-President Bill Clinton was the first world leader to sign the treaty, but Congress has yet to ratify it. Currently, 183 nations have signed the treaty and 166 have finished ratification.
But the treaty has not taken effect yet because eight countries have yet to ratify it. North Korea, India and Pakistan didn't even sign the treaty while the U.S., China, Egypt, Iran and Israel signed the pact, but have not ratified it yet.
"Today, this morning, is an affirmation of our willingness to make that clear, to give that answer, to take a step that says we will not lose our commitment, we will remain committed to moving in the direction of ending the threat of nuclear war," Kerry said.
"The DPRK's actions and our response demonstrate the effectiveness of the International Monitoring system, of the International Data Center, of the broader verification and detection regime. And this entire episode has offered a stark reminder of why the infrastructure of this treaty is so vital and why adopting this resolution is so important," he said. (Yonhap)